The statement came in the wake of remarks by Bharatiya Janata Party (RJD) leader Lalu Yadav, who suggested that Narendra Modi’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, which came to power last month, may fall by August and elections could be held anytime soon.
In an exclusive interview on Sunday, P Chidambaram said, “In a parliamentary democracy, the opposition party has to be election-ready at all times. It is not a fixed term like the US President. It has to be accountable to Parliament every day and it can lose at any time.”
Asked whether his government would continue for another five years, he said, “This question should be asked to the two gentlemen of the country — Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar.”
N. Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United (JDU), which are part of the NDA alliance, have emerged as “kingmakers” by winning 16 and 12 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to win a majority of seats in the Indian Lok Sabha elections that concluded last month. P. Chidambaram also spoke about the party’s stance on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which aims to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The MP stressed that the Indian National Congress and the Indian Union are opposed to the CAA.
“I don’t know about Nitish Kumar. But Chandrababu Naidu has openly opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act. I hope he keeps his word. I cannot say anything now. The Indian National Congress and the Indian Union are opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Act,” he said.
The CAA, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, triggered massive protests across the country with opposition parties accusing the government of alienating migrants belonging to the Muslim community.
However, the Union government argued that the CAA was enacted to provide “fast-track” citizenship to persecuted minorities in the aforementioned countries.
The Rajya Sabha member also noted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to the violence-hit northeastern state of Manipur and said he was doing what a Leader of Opposition (LoP) should do.
“Rahul Gandhi is doing what he should be doing as Leader of the Opposition. He is visiting different parts of the country, meeting the affected people, listening to their stories and raising their concerns in Parliament and other forums,” P Chidambaram said.
He attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the PM was “busy” with foreign visits and attending weddings.
“As for Prime Minister Modi, he is busy with visits to Russia and Austria and a visit to Mumbai for a wedding. I think he will visit Manipur when he is not busy. I understand that a busy prime minister does not have time to visit Manipur,” he said.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rahul Gandhi visited relief camps in Manipur state, which has been ravaged by ethnic violence since May 3 last year. He also urged the prime minister to visit Manipur and listen to the plight of people who have been displaced and lost family members due to the violence.
Violence erupted in the northeastern states on May 3 last year when clashes broke out during a rally organised by the All Tribal Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand to include the Meiteis as Scheduled Tribes.
